A range of desktop, mobile, and web applications exist that provide access to satellite imagery. ObservedEarth differs in that it makes accessible a history of observations showing how the Earth has changed over time. Watch rivers change their path, bushfire destruction, forrest regrowth, expansion of urban developments, snowfalls. Earth observation data has wide ranging applications.

The richness of multispectral data is exposed through a series of present band combinations to highlight specific features. Bands mapped to an images red, green, and blue channels can present a natural look image. Incorporating the infrared band can highlight active bushfires, and the near infrared band can help distinguish between different types of vegetation.

ObservedEarth downloads unprocessed satellite data which is then processed locally on the iPhone/iPad, this enables much greater flexibility in the range of visualisations that can be offered. Raw data consumed by ObservedEarth is often available within hours of the satellite passing overhead.

I first read about this on the ABC website, it’s another concerning sign in amongst a raft of environmental changes. I’d recommend watching the footage in this link for a first hand view of whats occurred. Tracking down an affected location wasn’t hard. The following images were cropped out...
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In the extremely rare case that you’ve stumbled across this post before the public release and have an interest in testing out ObservedEarth, please let me know and I’ll send through a TestFlight invite. Contact via support@hurtsdevelopment.com or any of the links below. Image credit: NASA Earth Observatory image...
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